The last time I CRIED in a Beauty shop, I was 12.... come to think of it the last time I had an ASYMMETRICAL BOB... I was also 12....

Guess who cried in the beauty shop today? - guess who went in for a TRIM & came out with an

BLEEPING ASYMMETRICAL BOB..thingy?

OKay... I didn't all out BAWL... but my eyes did tear up after she HACKED the left side of my hair off...

I asked for a TRIM... I think I am going to start calling my girl KATARINA..."the BUTCHER#

I went back and forth this morning...should I trim it? should I not? But seeing as I have been going to the SAME GIRL...with the SAME HAIR STYLE for over a YEAR... HOW COULD SHE SCREW IT UP?

I am the kind of person who will BITCH about it on here...but I would NEVER say anything to the "stylist" because I wouldn't want her to feel bad....

But today my mouth dropped open when I saw what she had done & said "wow...this is waaaaay too short..."

Her suggestion... we leave the right side as is.....

What the hell was I too do? My face is WAY ...WAAAY too round to try to pull off a PIXIE do... so I agreed... I told her we would leave it...but If I hadn't learned to love it while I was in Argentina...she would have to fix it... (hows THAT for putting my foot down?)

She told me NO CHARGE as I crawled out of the salon.."Um, thanks?"

I got in the car & called Bjørn & proceeded with my hysterical breakdown... "SHE BUTCHERED me!" I look like a 60-something ARTSY FARTSY...trying to be something I am not... woman.... " Whhhhaaaaaa....

My darling husband?"Well I guess I won't have to worry about anyone hitting on you while you are gone!""Hey I know.... why don't you dye it MAGENTA for the FULL EFFECT?"Sometimes my DARLING HUSBAND can be a total ass...

I tried to look up some photos of UGLY ASYMMETRICAL BOBS... but they were all pretty cute... please keep in mind I DO NOT look LIKE PARIS or any of the cute celebrities who have this hair style...

So now the dilemma... I feel like I CAN NOT go back to the stylist even if I DO end up getting used to the new UNASKEDFOR do... I mean, can I?

After she WHACKED the left side of my head off, can I really trust her? - shit... I am back to square one... NO HAIRDRESSER in NORWAY.

I am too upset to take pictures today... but I am sure you will catch a glimpse of the hair in my pictures from ARGENTINA..

I still have NO IDEA what we are going to do when we get there..(Argentina)... but a little birdie told me we would be WHITE WATER RAFTING... woo hoo!! Still, it would have been nice to have an itinerary right?

I SHOULD have set up a couple of guest posters while I am away... ANYONE? ANYONE? (if so, email me within the next 7 hours before I lose Internet for a week)

If I happen to find a computer I will try to post... Eeeek... I am so nervous & excited & PISSED all at the same time...

How the HELL have I made it 4.5 years living abroad without this WONDERFUL little AMERICAN GIFT....sigh....

All of my favorite shows... at my fingertips.... & some I have never heard of.

OMG...whats with COUGAR TOWN? please please please...don't tell me this has been canceled (like all of the other shows which show up over here 4 years late...)

Courtney Cox...AMAZING.. but whats up with the Drew Carey chic? ewwww... yet another affirmation that I will NOT be doing anything to my face.. OK.. but she is still REALLY REALLY funny... (moobs... man boobs- I am sooo going to use that)

So what else have I been missing? Now that I have EVERYTHING I want to watch, I don't know what the cool new shows are.

My big plan was to download about 26 hours of shows (the amount of flight time to Argentina... however I can't figure out how to download from Megavideo- I can download it... but can't get it to play...; (

3 days till I leave & I haven't even started digging my summer clothes out...yet here I sit, blogging.

OK... so what shows do I have to check out?& how the heck do I download these shows to play on my ipods? anyone?...

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer,[1] spring or fall,

SymptomsSymptoms of SAD may consist of: difficulty waking up in the morning, tendency to oversleep as well as to overeat (check), and especially a craving for carbohydrates((check), which leads to weight gain(check check). Other symptoms include a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating on completing tasks, and withdrawal from friends, family, and social activities (check check check). All of this leads to the depression, pessimism, and lack of pleasure which characterize a person suffering from this disorder.

Hopping around the ex pat Scandinavian blogs.. you will find the CRAPTASTIC weather a general theme.....

Regardless of number of years you have lived here, winters don't seem to get an easier...

The W E E K S of little or no sunlight...the wet..dreary...miserable days...

& believe me.. it isn't only us foreigners who struggle with it... the common feeling at work is a heavy...sigh...ugh... another. crappy. day.

I have always thought it ODD that Norwegians starting with the Christmas parties in November... we are still going to Christmas Tree parties in JANUARY...

A HA... today I realized it... this is the only way people can cope through these miserable, miserable winters.... You have to have a million things planned to keep you from curling up in the fetal position & not moving for the next 4 months. (yawwwwwn)

I promised myself I WILL keep BUSY... I get through this winter funk doing FUN things with the kiddos... - Ummmm, I haven't planned anything yet because I have been in too much of a funk. HA.

I am going to the BOOK CLUB this evening with bottle of wine in hand. For the record it wasn't the hostess who said NO WINE.. (sorry if I implied that) everyone I asked if they were planning on taking a drink said no... it really is too much of a hassle to have a glass of wine here... (there is a 0 tolerance on drinking & driving...even one glass of wine)

Yea! Finally I get to play...RANDOM TUESDAY THOUGHTs.... cause it seems like MOST of my thoughts are RANDOM today....

*my goodness...am I BITCHY today... I called Bjørn early at work just to WARN HIM... everything is irritating me.. Seems like it is going around.. it must be the GRAY Rainy days... Everyone is feeling a little bitchy & blue.... lets hope the sun comes out SOON...

** I have a bunch of meetings tomorrow... will I speak up & say what is on my mind or back down to just get through it? I need to be better about standing up for myself. Believe it or not, sometimes I am WAY too nice.

*We get a lot of American TV shows here in Norway... months or even years after they come out in the states... the newest show to hit the Norwegian airways is "Dance your A$$ OFF" - I know where I will be Thursday night... bruhaaaaa

* Anyone know how we can watch AMERICAN shows on the Internet? - Living abroad you get a message saying you are not allowed to watch from your area.... suggestions?

* I really tried to LOVE Lancome's Ôscillation mascara...REALLY...

But after using it for several weeks... I DON'T.

"Ôscillation is the first vibrating Power mascara by Lancôme: 7000 oscillations per minute"

Although my lashes look good to begin with, by the end of the day, the mascara starts flaking off... not goodsave your $34

*Although I wasn't CRAZY about Lancôme's mascara... I am CRAZY about the GÉNIFIQUE line. I started using it about 2 weeks ago... remember?

I haven't noticed a HUGE difference on my face, but I don't really have many lines yet...

The episode is about a mother buying her 14 year old son condoms... & talking to your daughter about masturbation.

Ummm... N.O. and N.O. ....

I realize I have a little time on my side... I have a 10 & a 5 year old... but I can see it coming

oh man... can I see it coming.

most Americans have a different view on SEX than most Norwegians/Europeans .

Europeans/Norwegians are much more OPEN about sex in general but especially with teens & sex..

I have a lot to learn... I can't see me being more European when it comes to MY kids & sex. (maybe?...I do have a few years...)

Danes class was given the in depth"TALK" when he was in 3rd grade...

I was surprised because we were not notified that they were going to talk about this... (in the U.S. I am pretty sure that would be a lawsuit)

I guess it was OK because it saved me from having the "talk"...but it would have been nice to have a choice.

Dane rushed home from school...all excited to tell me about what he learned... he told me about EVERYTHING they talked about & then said... "& it feels GOOOD"

Of course I was fine with everything up until that point... I called Bjørn at work...

in my...I want to move home kind of rant...." can you BELIEVE they told him that it feels GOOOOD? WTF- I have the good mind to call the school & tell them what I think about them giving my 8 year old a sex talk & telling how gooooood it feels...." (I didn't)

Why did THAT push me over the edge? I guess I feel like it encourages the kids to TRY it...

(you better at least be wearing his class ring - do they even do that anymore?)

Probably the biggest deterrent to keep me from going "BAD" was my big brother...the Senior, Capt. of the Football team..... I always heard the way they (the football team who LIVED at my house) talked about the "nice" & "not so nice girls"

The "not so nice girls" NEVER became the girlfriend...EVER... those were the girls that you messed around with at the baseball fields on a Friday night...NOT the girls you would take to the Homecoming dance....

On top of that... I knew that if my Big brother E V E R heard anything "bad" about me...He would kick my ass first..& kill the guy afterward... - the thought of my whoring around being brought up at the dinner table...- FORGETABOUTIT..... So although I was a PARTY girl... I was still a REALLY NICE girl...

Thank Goodness, Eva has a BIG BROTHER....

I have plenty of Norwegian friends with teenage children, who KNOW that their kids are having SEX & even allow them to have their girlfriends/boyfriends SPEND THE NIGHT.

I just can't imagine ever being OK with that...

So anyway the OPRAH show today was about the mother buying her son condoms because she could tell her son was thinking about having sex for the first time....

I think/hope I would be able to pick up the signs when my children THINK they are ready... I think I will be able to talk to them about it...(talk them out of it...) but going to the store to buy them condoms? I don't think so.... maybe I could send Bjørn.

& as far as talking to your daughter about masturbation... (my face is going red just typing THAT word) so that your daughter won't need to go out & be with just any boy.... Don't think I would be able to talk about that either.... joking maybe...but a serious talk about it...i don't think so,.

I talk about it with the BOY... But I usually like to say things like...

"Just remember...if you touch it too much you will GO BLIND...

"You better not being doing THAT...you will grow hair on the palms of your hands & everyone will know..."

Don't worry...Bjørn is the GOOD parent... who assures him things are normal...& no...he isn't really going to go blind.

Do we REALLY have to have "that" talk?

Isn't it enough to teach your child to respect themselves & their body to keep them from making bad decisions?

So those of you who have been through this...how did you handle it?

those of you who haven't been this... how do you think you will react? Are you ready to accept that it is just a fact of life? Would you allow your teenager (14,15,16) year old have a sleep over at your house

y'all know... I had an unexpected "face lift".... I was thinking about changing my layout..

I just hate being FORCED to do anything.

(don't you love that I was posting every 10 seconds when I was having problems... but as soon as it is OK... I draw a blank?

Not sure what I am going to with the Ol'blog...but have a feeling it will be a work in progress.

I have to give Andy aka Dark UFO a great big shout out & THANKS for saving the day & getting everything fixed....

SO y'all know when weird BLOGGER things happen, they can be fixed IF you know what you are doing..

(I, DO.NOT)

In all of this chaos I did lose my BLOGROLL... I will try to get y'all added back... but if you want to help me (hint, hint) go ahead & leave me a comment or drop me an email... It will save me from trying to find y'all again.

I just noticed...did they REALLY take spell check off of the new blogger? gimme a break

From: "Lorac" If you use Blogger in Draft, it does spell check. Looks great!

- Although I didn't do anything to change it... I now have a new toolbar.. which includes STIKETHROUGH-REMOVE FORMATTING- INSERT JUMP BREAK...but NO SPELLCHECK.

should make for some interesting posts... get ready to laugh at with me... :)

UPDATE...the NEW editor does not have spell check... lots of other things... but no spell check... I switched back.

GIVE ME SOME SUGAR! F I N A L L Y...looks like we are moving in the right direction

Unfortunately... thus far.. you are only able to comment on my blog if I use THIS template...Hrmphhhh... (not that there is anything WRONG with this template...I know there are 1.000.000's who have it) I would just like something a little more personal.

OK better than nothing.

I was thinking I was going to have to start AMERICAN IN NORWAY II... (insert SAD face..)

Anyway... I have been searching the net for the past two days on a solution to my "no comment" problem... I tried the whole resetting the widget thing...NO LUCK...

in the end.. I just clicked the "revert back to classic template" & Voilà

Just thought I would throw that out there in case someone else comes across the same problem...

OK... so I am waiting by my in box to see who is going to comment first...I've missed y'all!

Anyone who has been reading American in Norway for a while KNOWS...that

one of "THOSE "days..

Is usually a RANT about the HUGE Zit that popped up right before a big meeting.. or my MIL making me CRAZY...or the zillion things I have to do..which I have yet to start because I am BLOGGING... (I know... I have a really ROUGH life..)

The kids were off of school for a planning day, so I took the day off to be with them....

After kisses, cuddles & coffee... we had a little breakfast.... went for a bike ride in the sunny-ish fall weather....

I made homemade Potato Soup...(to.die.for.) while waiting to pick up Dane's friend to go to the movies...

As I was making dinner, I started thinking about how truly BLESSED I am.... 2009 has been such a great year for all of us.... I am not only HAPPY... I am CONTENT... when I was younger, I wasn't sure I could ever be CONTENT... wow...

This year has been a somewhat healthy year for us...(thank goodness....- after the horrors of LAST year...)

We have been blessed with a lot of wonderful family time... traveling, & loads of old & NEW friends....

Why don't I write more posts about THESE kinds of days?

I dunno...maybe cause y'all would HATE me if you knew how good things really are....

I let the kids pick the movie, because I was in nice "mommy mode" today...

They chose Michael Jackson " This is it"..... Not my choice... but it brought back many great memories...(Michael Jackson's VICTORY TOUR was the first concert my MOM took me to... on the FLOOR at the ASTRODOME... wow)

Should have seen all of the kids dancing in the aisle...F U N N Y...

Anyway... if one day my kiddos should go & decide to read mommy's blog... I just wanted to know today was a REALLY GOOD DAY...Thank you for being the wonderful people you are...

Now that I have the Birthday out of the way the Next BIG thing going on will be my trip to ARGENTINA..IN. TWO. WEEKS. I can't believe how fast time is flying...woo hoo... whos excited for me??

I have never been to Argentina...or even South America for that matter... it is going to be an adventure....

So now I need to get my butt in gear & learn a little something about Argentina... & what do I need to pack? I know it will be summer there...but I don't even have an itinerary! Do I need a converter? What do I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BUY while I am there?

I am going to have to break down & call the company who is taking me & ask them what I need to expect... - do I need to have dresses for dinner or is this an all out WINE-O trip -better stick with pants?

The only thing I do know is that we will be heading to Mendoze....from BuenosAires, in a little prop plane...NOT looking forward to THAT bit.

( why is it after you become a parent things like PROP planes...really seem to bother you?)

"Mendoza, two hours by plane from BuenosAires, is the heart and soul of Argentina's wine country, where European settlers introduced the ancient craft of wine making in the 19th century. It's also the adventure tourism center of Argentina's Cuyo region, offering world-class hiking, biking, fishing, rafting, horseback riding and skiing, all within reasonable driving distance of downtown Mendoza. " WOO HOO.. (I said that already didn't I?)

So any of y'all been to Argentina & do you have any tips?

I have promised myself, that I WILL finish posting about our trip this summer ...before I head off for the next adventure... (I know, y'all are holding your breath...)

OK...so I am NOT Martha Stewart..but I think I can say the party was definitely a SUCCESS..

Today, Bjørn called me from the office twice to thank me again...

(Sometimes he can be soooo cute like that.)

Biggest surprise was the friend flying in from Trondheim.... The boys had an excellent time catching up... & had a free pass from ME while I got everything ready for the party...

FIRST time in my life I was finished with EVERYTHING with an hour & a half to SPARE... was able to have a drink with the boys before the guests arrived.....

I had WAY too much food as always... but the Norwegians loved all of the "NEW" dishes... nothing FANCY...but I loved trying some new things out & having them work out....

Some of the favorites (so they told me...) were the CAKE...(first time I have made a cake from SCRATCH...go! me!..SOOO EASY) I will have to link to the recipe... the Cheese ball... & FRITO PIE... OK yummmm...too bad we can't get Frito's over here...

Bjørn says he doesn't want a big deal made out of it...but deeep down I know he does... we all do, don't we?

He called me as soon as he got to the office...his office was filled..floor to ceiling with balloons.. & the girls were all lined up to give him a hug...maybe a little birthday spanking..(he didn't tell me that...)

I would say the day is off to a good start...lets just hope everything else goes as planned...

GAME ON....Its C R U N C H time....Ol' Blue eyes will be 40 tomorrow... WOW.So now I am running around the house like the Keebler Elf...trying to get all of my baking done..

1 of 2 Chocolate Mocha cakes...done...2 sour dough bread bowls.. donemeat for the Italian meat sandwiches done... (in the land of NO CROCK POTS it took me 18 hours to get the meat JUST RIGHT...)Cheese Balls... (almost)(I found cheese balls/logs in Sweden for $30 a POUND.. is that not messed up?)

Yesterday,Made a run for the border (literally) over to Sweden to buy some "CHEAP" alcohol... HA..

I drove about an hour to make it to the Swedish Vinmonopolet (yes, we have to go to a government owned alcoholic beverage retailer ..if we want wine & spirits..)

So I made the hour trek for my 24 cans of beer... thank goodness they were sooo cheap..averaged out to about $2.70 a CAN.. I was so disgusted by my "cheap" buy, I just had to giggle - (to keep from crying)

Anyhoo... bought the rest of my food.. I have given up on the idea of any super fantastic decorations... After being with Bj for so long, I know he would much rather have me in a good mood with a drink in hand when the guests arrive..instead of stressed, bitching about all of the things I couldn't do/find ... *sigh*

Last night as I was cleaning the kids rooms the doorbell rings... Dane thought it was someone selling something... I told him to tell whoever it was, that I wasn't interested.

I hear Dane talking to someone & says "Mom... its for you..." I tromp down the stairs...(in my PJ's no less... ) to see a MAN standing in my foyer...(my children have been in Norway tooo long to remember STRANGER DANGER... & how about NOT letting strangers in the house... - I know,how about me getting off my butt & answering the door myself... - this is a WHOLE nother post..)

My first reaction was to beat him over the head with my Croc... (can you imagine how HOT I am looking right about now? - thank god I still had a bra on!)

He must have seen the look of HORROR on my face... & quickly explained that he was a friend of Bjørn's... he thanked me for the invitation...he would be unable to attend the party, but had a little gift for Bjørn... 2 tickets to the football (soccer) game on Friday night... SCORE!Called Bj in Holland to tell him about the tickets, - did he want to go even though it would mean cancelling the birthday dinner with his mom... I think he said something like " Hell Yes"...

This totally gets me off the hook of making the big birthday dinner & time to get to the airport to pick up his friend who is flying in from Northern Norway to surprise him.... Tee heehee...

By the time Bj gets home from the game I will have buddy boy here & ready to start HAPPY HOUR....Life is good... Are y'all getting sick of hearing about this bloody birthday already? 2 more days..bare with me

Oh... question for those of you GOOD at baking things... I wanted to bake a wheel of Brie... it says to use ready made puff pastry... but HELLO..I live in NORWAY...I don't think we have that here... wondering, can I use croissant dough instead?(don't y'all like how I use you as my own personal GOOGLE? )

I baked you with baby oil, I picked at you, I talked ugly to you..I tried to hide you, I didn't love you and

I am SORRY!!

As 40 is fast approaching,

I want to make things right.

My boobs & legs aren't what they once were & I am counting on you girl, don't let me down!

I am going with the tough love approach...doing things I SHOULD/or SHOULD NOT have been doing the past 20 years. sorry*sorry*sorry*sorry*sorry*sorry*sorry*sorry*sorry*sorry*sorry*sorry*sorry*sorry

Starting with the "sun" no more fake baking. I know you... my face/skin are THANKING me for not baking you under neon lights... I am having a hard time staying away...but for you, I will..

Never mind within the next 2 weeks I will begin to look like I have been locked in a closet for the past 6 months & with my new white..pasty skin , will need to re think the hair color.... eeeww..

Talking about TOUGH love... I have stopped wearing foundation..EEEK (even more difficult than giving up the sun...)

I am trying to give you a chance to breath a little....

I am BABYING you like never before... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't let me down... I just need an itty bitty MIRACLE...

Thanking you in advance,

ME

I had a lady ask me this week for a MIRACLE in a bottle ... first..I am FLATTERED you would think I had that little miracle...perhaps you need to look a bit closer my dear... I am STILL lookin

I have given up tanning... not easy but I am DONE...

I have been a liquid base/foundation junkie for YEARS... trying to cover the abuse I have inflicted on my skin....

(I in no way, think foundation is bad for your skin...I am just trying a lighter approach.. Just trying to get my skin in really good shape instead of trying to cover everything up...know what I mean? - )

last time I went in for a facial they suggested I use a mineral powder...sooo

I have been using Almost Powder from CLINIQUE... LOVING IT!Almost Powder Makeup SPF 15 "More than minerals. Skin looks, acts happier. Long-wear formula helps keep pores out of trouble. Antioxidants and SPF protect skin. This natural, perfecting “no-makeup” makeup is so lightweight, you’ll never even feel it.

I think my skin is "happier" than it has been in a LOOOONG time.

To stay out of the sun... I have been experimenting with bronze rs...

Guerlain's Terracotta Bronzing Powder. long lasting... To be honest I pretty much love everything from from Guerlain...

This morning the talking began while I was still asleep & he was sitting on the potty...yelling across the upstairs...

" Hey M O M... I have found my apartment.."(didn't know he was looking...)

"G R E A T baby... can we discuss this over breakfast/HUGE cup of coffee?)

(that child NEVER forgets ANYTHING...)

10 min. I get downstairs...

"Soooo mom,... did you get a chance to look at the apartment? it is only1,800,000... huh, huh,huh? I figure when I turn18 I will just get a job that I don't really llike... so I can get a loan... & then I will get a girlfriend & we can buy the apartment together....whatdoyathink? huh? whatdoyathink?(all of this in one breath)

At this point I should have just nodded...said "sure sweetie...sounds like a great idea?"

- as I am praying for the coffee to drip a little faster & remembering my mother cursing me with a child JUST LIKE ME...almost 30 years ago... the boy was just like ME..he talks just like me....

But NOOOOO... I chose 7 am to suggest better choices & the reasons I was against my 10 year old buying the 1,800,000 kr. apartment with the girl he wasn't willing to marry,(because she could split the bills..- WHERE does he get this?)

"But D A N E.... I thought you wanted to travel the WORLD? (totally MY dream)

-you don't want to get some job you hate, so you can buy some apartment that you CAN'T afford..) you will have all sorts of bills.. you'll have to buy a car...& then come the kids....

"MOOOOOM! - who said anything about kids? & I don't need a car, I will get a MOPED..."

***sigh*** can I go back to bed now?

Happy to say, by the time we finished breakfast & I was shoving him out the door... he had decided to put off the apartment & the little tart he was going to shack up with... & had decided we would become either a Doctor, a Dentist or an Engineer for NASA... all whilst riding his MOPED...

Little Miss Eva as Bat Girl...She REALLY wanted to beBuzz Lightyear but compromised with me when I couldn't find the costume.. as long as she didn't have to be a PRINCESS...

Here is Kristoffer with the awesome piñata his mama made... way to go Caroline!

Dane was a commando..... I was SOOO MAD.. I left my memory card at home.. so I think I was able to get 4 pictures....

Sometimes I can be such a DUMMY.

We had a great time at Kristoffers b-day... trick or treating wasn't too bad... just a lot of work trying to find the right house

... sigh... (which TOTALLY justified the many bottles of wine we needed to recover from taking 9 kidlets trick or treating)

At least the newspaper wasn't filled with upset readers writing in on how HALLOWEEN should STAY in AMERICA... (oh yea... I have read that EVERY YEAR for the past 4 years...)

I am still worn out from our fun filled weekend... but there is no rest for the weary... less then a week til Bjørns b-day.. eeek! I have decided to go ahead & try my hand a baking his b-day cake..(thanks for the nudge Tarah!)

I am very pleased with the way it turned out... much scarier than some of the cakes on saw on line...

This was for Kristoffers 12th birthday/Halloween party... so we had to have it look a little mean-

Baking "cute-sie "cakes here in Norway is more difficult than doing it at home only because we don't have the same of candy, decorating stuff who knew I would be unable to find ... ICE CREAM CONES... (I wanted to use one for the stem... no flat cones to be found...)

I used Marzipan for the stem & leaves... & am now a convert...

More about the big weekend tomorrow...

....OH look... found this post from LAST year... pretty much sums it up..Halloween here is still pretty PAINFUL...(but getting better)

Halloween in Norway... one of our favorite Holidays... or at least it USED to be until we moved to Norway...

Halloween is still pretty new to Norway... Not sure how long it has been over here... but not long enough for people to know WHEN they are supposed to go out Trick or Treating... or get excited about decorating... or even to know that you need to go buy some good candy... (NOT clean out their junk drawers with whatever they might find...... some loose change... old gum.... a LIGHTER........)

I love when Nowegians get all excited & ask me questions about Halloween... like

"Why do you celebrate Halloween?" "Ummm..free candy..." I know there is a story as to why we celebrate Halloween ... but whatever..."when do you go out trick or treating for Halloween?

***crickets*** "Ummmm, ....ON Halloween"being a busy working mom...I haven't had a chance to spread the news to EVERYONE over here, that we need to trick or treat ON Halloween... so it is not unusal to have trick or treaters the week BEFORE or AFTER Halloween...A co worker told me she had trick or treaters 3 weeks early... (I think the kids were just trying to pull one over on her & get some extra pre Halloween candy )

I also haven't had the time to tell the Norskis that if they don't want trick or treaters...

turn off your porch light... No need to yell & a bunch of 6 year olds & slam the door in their faces... (yes, this was my first experience with trick or treating in Norway & i have been scarred ever since...)Costumes? Good luck if you want to be something other than a Witch or a Pirate...Last year we came up with this little didy... KISS & all we needed was 5 rolls of Aluminum Foil & some black clothes...I couldn't believe hubby went along with it...but I think he really enjoyed the aluminum foil " nut cup" (look closely.. you can see it) & prancing around in his silver boots...

OK... I just wanted an excuse to post my favorite Halloween family photo... Pics from THIS year tomorrow...